Get into the festive mood by treating yourself to a pre-Christmas break.

1 - EDINBURGH from £74.50pp

Nowhere does pre-Christmas giddiness quite like Edinburgh, with every corner of the city decked in festive lights, and eight markets to visit during December.

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Kids will love the Lost Elves city trail, with Santa’s Chief Elf handing out the clues, and the chance to meet Santa’s reindeer in St Andrew’s Square. If it’s cold, bundle them into the cinema to see Rocket the Reindeer in 3-D.www.edinburghschristmas.com

2 - LEEDS from £89pp

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There’s an exotic feel to Christmas in Leeds this year with a Moroccan market running every day in December, where stalls in traditional Berber tents sell everything from Moroccan foods to hand-made carpets. For more traditional gifts, the German Kristkindelmarkt runs from Dec 9-16. There are pantos galore including Sleeping Beauty at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Cinderella at the City Varieties Music Hall. Kids can visit Santa at the Abbey House Museum or take a ride with him on the Middleton Railway.

3 - BATH from £125pp

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The city’s stunning Georgian architecture makes the perfect backdrop for Bath Christmas market. Almost 150 stalls will fill the streets, along with carol singers and entertainers.

Take a break from shopping with a twirl round the new open-air ice rink at Royal Victoria Park or join in the sing-song at the Pump Room where the City of Bath Bach Choir give their annual Christmas concert on December 19, 20 and 21.

4 - CANTERBURY from £47.50pp

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There are few better places to launch into the chorus of O Come All Ye Faithful than at Canterbury Cathedral. On December 2, there is a public carol service (unticketed) to mark the beginning of Advent. You can also book tickets to see Gareth Gates in Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre, experience a Dickensian Christmas at the Canterbury Heritage Museum (Dec 8-9) or join in with the carol singers every weekend at the Whitefriars Shopping Centre.

5 - DURHAM from £100pp

The beautiful cathedral city of Durham is at its atmospheric best in December, kicking off with the Traditional Christmas Festival (Nov 30-Dec 2), which includes a 190-stall gift market, street theatre, lantern procession and a visit from Santa. Crook Hall & Gardens is holding Christmas carol afternoons on Dec 2, 8 and 16 (pre-book), while families can take a trip on the Polar Express, when the Weardale Railway takes on a distinctly festive feel (every evening until Dec 30).

6 - YORK from £64pp

York goes all out for Christmas with the St Nicholas Fayre taking place from Nov 29 to Dec 2. The 15th Century townhouse Barley Hall hosts a medieval market with live craft displays, while the town centre’s streets are filled with mulled wine stalls and carol singers.

The Festive Fayre runs from Dec 9 to 12, with decorated wooden huts selling works by local artists and local food. On the weekend of Dec 15-16, the Festival of Angels sees the city decorated with ice sculptures dotted around the streets. There are family craft workshops at York Minster, and panto of choice is Sleeping Beauty at the Grand Opera House.

7 - BRIGHTON from £49.50pp

The run-up to Christmas in Brighton is characterised by quirky events such as the Santa Run along the seafront on December 8 and Burning the Clocks, a spectacular torchlit parade on Dec 21 that celebrates the winter solstice. The town’s outdoor ice rink is right next to the Royal Pavilion, and skaters can warm up with mulled wine at Jamie Oliver’s pop-up restaurant. Vintage fans should head to the Brighton Centre on Dec 15 for the Boutique Market.

8 - MANCHESTER from £129pp

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There are eight Christmas markets in Manchester to choose from including the European Christmas market in Albert Square with huts draped in fairylights. All are open until 9pm each night, selling everything from Dutch flower bulbs to German bratwurst (spicy sausage). Traditional panto pleasures can be had at the Palace Theatre, where David Hasselhoff is starring in Peter Pan.

9 - CARDIFF from £70pp

The Welsh capital, Cardiff, embraces the festive period in serious style with the Winter Wonderland on City Hall Lawn where you’ll find an ice rink, ice bar and, new for 2012, the Star Ride – a 60ft high spinning chair thriller. There is also seasonal street theatre every weekend in December, market stalls and card and decoration-making workshops at Cardiff Castle (Dec 1-2). On December 9 and 16, there are Victorian Christmas tours of the castle with carol singers, mulled wine and mince pies.

10 - NEWCASTLE from £42.50pp

Newcastle celebrates the festive period with a winter festival that includes ice skating, a great play for younger children – The Little Detective Agency and the Case of the Festive Thief – at the Northern Stage theatre and a continental market (until Dec 1). There’s panto, Aladdin, at the Theatre Royal, and a Festive Food and Craft Market in Gateshead on Dec 1 and 15. Outside the city, Kielder Water is transformed into a winter wonderland with Christmas theatre, ice-skating and tubing.